Crafty Yzerman making his mark with Lightning

Hockey Betting Lines

07/20/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman brought a copious amount of credibility to the organization when he was hired in May.

Less than two months later, he has also brought in a mass of talent that has the Lightning thinking big for 2010-11.

New Tampa Bay owner Jeff Vinik knew what he was getting when he hired "The Captain" on May 25: a four-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit (three times as a player) who already had established success building teams on a national level. Yzerman served as Canada's general manager for the IIHF World Championships, winning gold in 2007 and a silver the following year before reaching the top of the mountain this past winter.

As executive director, Yzerman put together a Team Canada that won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver with a thrilling overtime victory over the United States, leading to his exit as Detroit's team vice president and into his current role with Tampa Bay.

What Yzerman has done in his short time with the Lightning is nothing short of astounding. Taking over a team that finished tied for the fewest points in the NHL in 2007-08 and eight points out of a playoff spot last year, Yzerman has turned his franchise into a club that has enough talent to end a three-season playoff drought and maybe even challenge the powerhouse Washington Capitals for bragging rights in the Southeast Division.

Even with all of the moves Yzerman has made since becoming GM, his best might have come on Monday when the Lightning pulled the trigger on a trade with the Flyers that brought two-time 40-goal scorer Simon Gagne into the mix for a defenseman (Matt Walker) that isn't even likely to crack Philadelphia's NHL roster, along with a 2011 fourth-round pick.

Yes, Gagne does come with some injury risk. The 30-year-old missed the start of last season due to abdominal surgery and also suffered a broken foot in the playoffs, though he returned early from that ailment. He has also battled groin and concussion issues in the past, but still owns 259 goals in his career and is a free agent at season's end.

In short, Gagne is a low-risk, high-payoff addition and Yzerman was able to pounce on the forward for such a low price because he knew the Flyers had to move salary to get under the cap.

"This trade not only makes us a better team in the short-term, it helps create long-term flexibility for us, which all along has been one of our top priorities," said Yzerman.

Also factor in that Gagne had to waive his no-trade clause to make the deal happen, and it shows that Yzerman has made Tampa, nowhere close to a hockey town, into an attractive place for players.

There isn't a single aspect of the Lightning's game that hasn't already been touched by Yzerman. Most importantly, he has done so while displaying a keen sense of how to work with the salary cap, an area many NHL general managers have struggled with since its inception following the lockout.

With a solid core of Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, Yzerman earlier locked up veteran and locker room leader Martin St. Louis to a four-year extension, and offset the cost of that new deal by shipping defenseman Andrej Meszaros' reported $4 million cap hit to the Flyers for a 2012 second-round pick.

And that was just the start.

When free agency began, the Lightning inked Dan Ellis, a former promising goaltender with the Predators who lost his starting job last year despite a solid 2.69 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. The best part is Ellis' deal -- a two-year, $3 million pact, which isn't bad for a player who could overtake Mike Smith for the starting role.

Then came the defense. Pavel Kubina, who won a championship with the Lightning in 2004, was brought back to add size and a point shot to the power play, while veteran Brett Clark was added to help mentor the young blueliners.

"I talked to Steve ... and I was very impressed with the direction he's going in with the team," Kubina said after signing with the club. "I always wanted to come home. Other than Czech, Tampa Bay is my second home. I still have my house there and even though I had other offers on the table, I couldn't pass this up."

A 2009 Hall of Fame inductee, Yzerman has wasted little time in transforming the Lightning into contenders, using a number of shrewd moves that would make a fantasy sports owner jealous.

His next task, and maybe the most difficult, is making the fans in Tampa care.

Winning will take care of that.

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Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

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Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

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